In Closing
by ToDifferentToBeReal
Summary: Lessa speaks to F'lessan as she lay dying. Two endings. Slight angst. Lessa/F'lar
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This short fic(I would call it a drabble but it's too long) was inspired by another short piece that I read(Fragments of Memories). I liked the piece, it was nothing amazing very simple, but not bad. I was a little disappointed by the ending. I don't know why, it was a good idea but my brain rebelled. I actually wrote this backwards. I wrote ending 2 then ending 1 and then the beginning. The piece was actually written for the two endings so if the first part isn't very good, excuse it.

Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever own the Dragonriders of Pern series. I don't own any of the characters in this piece, either.

In Closing (Continuation)

At first F'lessan had thought very little of the summons, he'd been called frequently over the past few weeks. He'd merely assumed that it was the healer reporting on his mother's condition.

He'd been summoned so frequently that he'd taken to staying at Benden again, making the occasional trip to Honshu but leaving the Weyrhold, for the most part, in the care of Tai.

He was quite surprised when he arrived outside his mother's weyr and there was no healer waiting for him. Golanth further stunned him by informing him that it had been Lessa herself who had called.

Frowning, F'lessan flipped back the curtain and stepped into the sleeping rooms. Lessa lay under a small pile of furs, glancing in his direction. She looked so frail that he didn't want to believe that this was his mother. She and his father had done the impossible. She'd always been so strong, so unbreakable.

Yet, not completely unbreakable, he knew. When his father had passed she cried, in private, but he knew that a piece of her had gone with F'lar. Her decline had begun immediately after F'lar's death. He walked briskly toward her and sat in the chair that had been there for weeks.

"Golanth said you called," F'lessan took her thin hand in his.

It wouldn't been much longer, he could see it in her face. He hadn't expected her to even last this long after his father's death. She declined so rapidly after his father's passing. He'd known for a long time that it would happen this way, he was losing one parent right after the other.

Still, he'd always denied that they were growing old, the great Benden Weyrleaders didn't age. Then again, that was what everyone had said about Master Robinton. He knew that the Weyrleaders had lived longer than they themselves had expected. The two had been well prepared to parish before the Pass had ended. Yet, they'd overshot that milestone and lasted several years past then end of Thread.

His parents had fought for so much, won so much, even defeated Thread indefinitely and here they were beaten by age. It was sad, his heart felt heavy in his chest as it had felt almost always recently.

His mother and father had long ago given up their positions, though they never lost the respect. They'd always been sought for, by their younger replacements, for advice. Now their advice and guidance would be gone.

"Mother, is there something you wished to speak with me about?" He leaned closer.

"F'lessan, my son," She cupped his cheek with the hand he wasn't holding, "I miss your father."

He nodded, understanding what she meant.

"I wanted to tell you," She murmured, "I'm proud of you."

He blinked, slightly surprised having not expected that statement.

"Your father was, too. We were always proud of you, even when it didn't seem like it." She smiled. "We loved you, very much. Despite my designating your care to someone else, I loved you. It was simply impossible for me to give you the attention you needed, the care and love. You would have felt worse had I not let another raise you. But you should know that we, your father and I, did love you and we cherished every little moment we could spend with you."

F'lessan smiled, nodding.

"I regret, sometimes, not raising you myself, not being a proper family. Perhaps, that's my holder blood speaking, but I haven't been a holder for a long time." She chuckled, low and raspy. "That girl you found yourself to run that Weyrhold of your's with you, she's nice. Perhaps I should have met her more than a few times, after all she's your weyrmate. I never saw the children you had with her much either." Lessa shrugged. "It's too late now though, huh? I regret that too, not really knowing the woman you love."

F'lessan shook his head, "No, certain affairs got in the way, time slipped away from us."

Lessa laughed, "Time, the only thing that could defeat F'lar and I."

"F'lessan?" A voice called from the door, as they turned Tai entered the room, "Golanth told me…"

He waved, gesturing that she bring a seat.

"We were just speaking of you," Lessa said softly.

"Oh," Tai smiled, "What a coincidence." She paused and then slowly spoke again. "Many people have been to see you I hear."

"Yes, many just in the past week, like with F'lar when the healer said he was declining," Lessa looked away, sadness in her eyes. "Jaxom and Sharra came the other day. Menolly, Sebell, F'nor and Brekke too. Many people have been to see me. It all makes me so tired." Her lids drooped, "I'm sorry I'm babbling."

Tai looked at F'lessan, he was gazing at his mother, grief already seeping into his gaze.

"It's alright, mother," F'lessan squeezed her hand gently.

"I'm very tired, F'lessan. Will you stay until I fall asleep?"

"Of course," He said, his heartache leaking into his voice.

"So very tired," Lessa murmured, closing her eyes. "Goodbye, F'lessan."

Outside Ramoth shrieked, F'lessan knew that she had leapt into the air and was going _between_ forever. The dragons keened their grief at the lose of the gold.

F'lessan drew in a breath, "Goodbye, mother."

A/N: I'm slightly disappointed, I think it fell apart a little at the end of this part. But there are two more parts to go.

In the next two parts I would be very happy if you read the A/Ns at the beginning, especially the last part. It isn't needed but it might help.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: This ending takes into consideration the afterlife possibility. No reincarnation as anything on Pern or otherwise. It is not necessarily heaven but it is an afterlife.

Ending 1 (Continuation)

Lessa's eyes snapped open. It was so bright that she squinted, nearly closing her eyes again, and immediately raised an arm to shield them. She couldn't see anything but white as she waited for the glare to clear.

"Lessa," An oh-so-familiar voice called out.

She gasped and turned toward the voice. Slowly, her vision began to clear and everything was no longer so bright. She could see F'lar standing in front of her, Mnementh lounging behind him.

"F'lar," She breathed, noticing Ramoth, lumbering toward Mnementh, out of the corner of her eye. Returning her focus to F'lar, she observed that he looked young again, not any older than he'd been when they'd first met. She supposed she must look young again, too. As did the queen and bronze sitting in the background, they were fit, their muzzles no longer graying.

F'lar was smiling down at her as he said, "I've been waiting for you. What took you so long?"

She attempted a scowl but couldn't pull her lips down from their smile, "I had some things to finish first. For both of us."

"F'lessan?" He sobered.

She nodded and explained to him the conversation she'd had with their only son.

"Good," He nodded and smiled.

They sat in comfortable silence for a moment before he spoke again, "I missed you."

Lessa moved closer and, wrapping her arms around him, craned her neck to look up at him, "I missed you, too." Then she laid her head on his chest.

She felt the need then to say something that the both of them had rarely voiced in life. There had never been the need, they'd both been aware, so the words had not often been used. Yet, after being apart from him for an extended period of time when she'd spent most of her days in his company, she thought she should voice those seldom used words.

She pulled back slightly and glanced up, smiling. She whispered, "I love you."

He smiled back, "I love you, too."

She stepped back a little more and he bent to kiss her. She sighed when they pulled apart.

Taking her hand in his he turned, "Come, there are some people I'd like you to meet."

She moved to his side and followed as he walked in the directions of the two dragons, who'd gone near ignored by the two until now. As the two stepped up to the queen and bronze, they lowered their heads to the level of the humans.

_What of us?_ Mnementh asked. _Did you not miss me? And Ramoth, F'lar, what of her?_

Lessa and F'lar laughed.

"Of course, I missed you, too, Mnementh!" Lessa reached up to scratch the ridge of the large eye turned in her direction.

F'lar bowed to Ramoth, "How could I not miss you as well?"

Seeming pleased, the queen haughtily turned an eye in his direction, expecting the same attention from F'lar that Lessa was bestowing on Mnementh. Lessa smothered a chuckle against her hand and watched as F'lar obliged the gold.

Tugging on his arm, Lessa motioned for them to continue, "Come, we can stifle them with attention later. You said there were people I had to see."

A/N: So there's 1 more part after this. I think that I liked this one, I was a little nervous about the 'I love you's though. I know that Lessa and F'lar weren't big on saying I love you, it really wasn't necessary, they knew how the other felt, but it wanted to come out. I tried to avoid it but my brain(which came up with the next idea without much thought, you'll understand when you get there) was saying it needed to be there. So let me know your thoughts.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Please read! This one needs an explanation. This is the reincarnation option, this is the part that this whole thing was pretty much written for, because this is the idea I came up with first. It's kind of crazy, and I'm positive that some people won't like it. It is more Alternate Universe than Continuation(Reincarnation). But if you read by explanation you get why I say reincarnation.

So in this ending, F'lar and Lessa are reincarnated into an alternate universe, if you will, on Earth, this is not the dead Earth of the Pern universe and it is more our Earth but still different. The dragons are pets here, mostly dogs but some are cats. In this case Ramoth and Mnementh are golden retrievers. When someone from Pern, F'lar and Lessa, remembers their past life on Pern, they can here the thoughts of their pets like they could when they were dragons on Pern(see I told you crazy). The pets remember their lives as dragons when they find their past weyrmates and the pets of this universe are abnormally long lived if they are the (cough) dragon pets. People remember their past lives when they encounter another person who was important to them, like their weyrmate, who was also from Pern.

Also, AU because F'lar and Lessa led different lives up until they met(obviously), and their personalities, while essentially the same, are slightly different. For instance, I imagine Lessa a little less hard in this story, due to the lack of need for revenge in this verse.

Ending 2 (AU/Continuation)

Lessa sighed, feeling that slight, inexplicable emptiness tugging at her insides again. For the last few years now, since just before she'd found Ramoth, the ache had persisted. She'd tried many things. She'd done things she'd always wanted to, stayed active, and even tried becoming less active, staying home with Ramoth. Still the emptiness persisted.

Sometimes it was ignorable, she barely noticed it. Yet, on other days she found that she didn't even want to roll out of bed. She knew that something must trigger it. She couldn't really figure it out though, to her it seemed random.

She tried not to dwell on it, after nearly two years she was starting to become used to it. She blinked, now that sounded completely pathetic, becoming used to the empty place in her being. She needed to solve that quickly.

Lessa exhaled on a groan, moving to other thoughts. She'd woken up in a good mood this morning. She felt that something big was going to happen today, something good.

She was jerked out of her reverie when Ramoth whipped them around the corner, surprising her. "Ramoth?" She called, "Where are you going? Slow down."

Lessa looked down at the golden retriever pulling her small form down the street. She leaned at an angle trying to stop the dog but that only served to make her steps awkward as Ramoth continued to drag her.

"Stop," She shouted before looking up to make sure she wasn't going to run into anyone. Unfortunately she did just that, having looked up in time to plant her face in a broad, flat chest. She blinked, the leash went slack and she could tell that Ramoth had come to an abrupt halt. Lessa stepped back hesitantly and glanced at the man she'd run into, avoiding his eyes and feeling guilty.

He held a crumpled, smashed grocery bag in one arm and several of the groceries that had been in the bag were now at their feet, including a squashed loaf of bread and a dozen eggs shattered on the ground.

"Oh god," Lessa gasped, "I'm so sorry!" She knelt down and started scooping up the smashed eggs, all the while chanting, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She held up her hands and suddenly realized the futility of her actions as she stared at her egg covered hands. "Why am I doing this? They're broken." Lessa looked up when she heard a chuckle from above her.

The man was looking away pressing a hand to his mouth as he tried to smother the laugh. He was clearly amused by her apologetic behavior.

Lessa straightened, "I'm sorry. Please let me pay for them or buy you new groceries."

He shook his head, "No, it was just the bread and eggs."

"Still, it's my fault they're now all over the sidewalk," She bent to pick up the carton and smashed bread. She looked at them, sighing, "I'm sorry."

He laughed again, "Really, that's not necessary."

"Please," She said, "It would make me feel better."

He sighed, "It's really not necessary. It's not your fault. It was an accident. Your dog was just over excited."

_Ramoth, it's you_. Lessa's gaze shot to the retriever at the man's side at the same time as his gaze turn to his dog. He looked up and shook his head.

_Mnementh, Mnementh_. Her gaze moved to her own dog. She frowned and shook her head. She glanced around but saw no one who knew her or her dog. Yet, it seemed like the man had heard the first voice as well, but not the second. No, maybe not, she must just be tired or maybe she had mistaken another name for Ramoth's.

Slightly doubting this hallucination solution, both of them looked back down at the animals. The dogs were insanely happy. Tails were wagging, they were rubbing faces together and licking the other's face.

Lessa blinked, "Well, they're very friendly."

"They really like each other," He chuckled.

Lessa nodded, still looking at Ramoth.

"Look if you really want to repay me in some way," He said. Lessa looked up but he was still looking down at his dog. "Let me take you out to coffee or dinner, Lessa."

She reflected on the fact that he'd called her by name, she didn't recall introducing herself. Then, taking in the rest of his statement, she blushed. "I think that that would be nice, F'lar." She blinked. He hadn't said his name either and he realized this as well.

They both looked up, locking gazes for the first time since they'd run into each other. Lessa's eye widened as she remembered everything.

"F'lar," She whispered, "We were…We've…on," She glanced at Ramoth, down at Mnementh, and then back up at F'lar.

His reaction paralleled hers. He gazed down at Lessa, hesitating but wanted to pull her into his arms. "Pern?" He questioned, quietly.

She nodded, placing a hand to her mouth, "I have so much to tell you. About this life… and…and you have to tell me about yours…and …oh I know Brekke. What about F'nor? Or Robinton? Or…or…"

He chuckled and bent to her, silencing her with a kiss. She threw her arms around his neck, kissing him back with fervor. When he pulled back he smiled, "All in due time, dear. All in due time." And he kissed her again, wrapping his arms about her waist and pulling her closer.

Lessa realized that she suddenly didn't feel so empty anymore, "I didn't realize it until now, but I really missed you."

"Me, too," He said. "Me, too."

A/N: I liked this idea, I personally thought it was interesting, if a little weird. I'm thinking that there is a possibility of more to this part, going into the history of F'lar and Lessa's lives on Earth, meeting others from Pern and such. I think I would like to write more just for me if nothing else. I would appreciate reviews.


End file.
